Why Reading Prison should be used 'to help the town's homeless'

Piers Knight wants to see Reading Prison used as a shelter for the homeless. Credit:getreading

A Reading man has urged the government to allow local charities to use the town's dormant prison as a homeless shelter.

Piers Knight, 26, who runs property developer The Knight Group in Reading, Berkshire, has started a petition urging the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) to allow the huge empty building to be used to help rough sleepers.

Read More

"The electricity and water are still on, and all it's doing is wasting taxpayers money.

"It would be great to see it used by charities to help the homeless in the meantime.

"I'm not sure about using the cells themselves, as vulnerable people might not like that concept, but there's enough space there to give a lot of people a roof over their heads.

"It currently sits as "Surplus to requirements" by the Ministry of Justice, has been left empty for five years, since 2013 although it has a capacity to hold over 1000 people, but is still being heated, the lights are on and still has running water - which so far has cost the taxpayers in an excess of £1 million."

Mr Knight said he had approached local and national charities over his plan.

Read More

"They're not interested if it's some pie in the sky idea, they want to see something definite, which is why I've started the petition and I'm keen to meet the MoJ to discuss the plan further. "

He added: "I'd really like to do something to give something back to the town."

Piers Knight. Credit. UGC

Utilities like electricity and water have been kept on at "a minimum level" to ensure the building doesn’t deteriorate.

The prison being put up for sale is likely to attract a lot of interest, particularly from the Theatre and Arts Reading group, which has put a lot of work into its plan to turn the site into a theatre.

Housing developers could also be interested in converting the Grade II listed building.

Councillor Tony Page, the council's lead member for planning, has said he feels it's unlikely the whole site could be used for homes due to its historical value and the fact it sits on part of Reading Abbey.

However, selling the site is unlikely to be a quick process and Mr Knight is hopeful his plan might gather speed during that time.